University of Idaho professor Dennis West is either realistic or extremely cautious.

West, who teaches classes in film studies, has caused concern at the Moscow campus by requiring students to sign a “statement of understanding” before taking his course. His classes cover a range of controversial topics such as racism, torture, rape, child molestation, pornography and homosexual themes. He’s trying to protect himself from complaints from students who don’t understand that colleges should force them to think as well as instruct.

West’s statements, according to the Associated Press, advise students that the films they study may contain material that is “morally, politically, culturally or otherwise objectionable, offensive or repugnant.” Some other professors have adopted a similar practice. Others, however, maintain that the signed warnings represent a slippery slope that could infringe on reading lists, syllabuses and, ultimately, academic freedom.

Two powerful forces are in play at the University of Idaho: academic freedom and consumerism. Instructors should push their students to view life from other perspectives and teach them how to seek truth wherever it leads. Students, on the other hand, have become more sophisticated in their approach to education. They pay enormous amounts of money for higher education, some going deep into debt. They have a right to demand quality instruction. But they don’t have a right to unilaterally insist that professors change their offerings to suit individual biases.

In a suit-happy society, professor West’s pre-emptive approach makes some sense. Most students are mature enough to handle adult topics. But some can’t distinguish between a discussion about pornography and approval of pornography. Professor Robert Caisley, of the university’s dramatic writing program, was blindsided by a note after a class that included images of unclothed Holocaust victims. Rather than being upset by the graphic carnage wrought by Nazism, Caisley told the AP, the anonymous writer was bothered by the nudity.

Yet, Caisley won’t embrace West’s “statement of understanding” because he believes it undercuts the bigger issue of academic freedom. He wonders if the day is coming when all college teachers will be required to collect the equivalent of permission slips.

As in every profession, there are good and bad instructors on college campuses. Some are lazy. Some are brilliant. Some misuse their classroom authority to push personal political, religious and philosophical opinions. Students, as consumers, should gripe when they believe they’re not getting their money’s worth from poor professors. However, they also should realize they’re no longer in high school. They’re being exposed to a range of ideas that will transform them.

University of Idaho professors should eschew “statements of understanding.” Rather, they can protect themselves by spelling out clearly in syllabuses and introductory classes what they plan to present and what they expect of students in terms of conduct and work ethic. The professors also should embrace their tenure, which is designed to protect their academic freedom, and view the occasional complaint as an occupational hazard.